[Patent document 1] JP-2008-199752 A (EP-2,110,923 A1)
There is known a technology of an electric power supply system in which several charge terminals are arranged in a parking lot such that a vehicle is connected with each charge terminal. Further, each charge terminal supplies a battery of the connected vehicle with an electric power from a commercial power source.
For example, in a technology described in Patent document 1, when a manipulation device (panel) of one charge terminal (charge manipulation device) is manipulated, the power supply begins from the charge terminal to the battery of the vehicle.
Such a manipulation device may be arranged in a position (for example, indoor) distant from the charge terminal in the future. In such a case, after reviewing, the inventors have found out a problem that does not usually occur.
That is, in a prior art, when a user manipulates a charge terminal connected with an intended vehicle as a target of an electric power supply, the charge to the intended vehicle can be certainly realized. In contrast, when a charge terminal is arranged in a position distant from a manipulation device, the correspondence between one of several charge terminals and one of several manipulation devices cannot easily determined. A user may thus manipulate an unintended manipulation device, thereby causing a possibility of executing an electric power supply to another vehicle, which is connected to an unintended charge terminal different from the intended one.
In addition, even if the correspondence relation between the charge terminal and the manipulation device is clear, there may be a case that the manipulation device is separated from the charge terminal. Such a case may cause a possibility for a user to be unable to see which charge terminal an intended vehicle is connected with, from a position of the manipulation device. In this case, when forgetting which charge terminal the vehicle is connected with, the user may thus manipulate an unintended manipulation device, thereby similarly causing a possibility of executing an electric power supply to another vehicle, which is connected to an unintended charge terminal different from the intended one.
Such a problem is not restricted to the case that the manipulation device is used for controlling an electric power supply. For example, the similar problem may be caused in cases that a manipulation device is arranged at a position distant from a charge terminal and manipulating of the manipulation device enables a display of a charge status of a battery. That is, a user may thus manipulate an unintended manipulation device, thereby causing a possibility of displaying a charge status of a battery of another vehicle, which is connected to an unintended charge terminal different from the intended one.